Stone S Heart
by barby-snape
Summary: What d have happened if the prophecy wasn t interpreted correctly, after all; If Voldemort died, and Harry did too? But Snape lived: And Hermione was the cause of it. Hogwarts, when those feelings of guilt prevent some people to leave their past behind.
1. Chapter 1

Stone´s heart:

Disclaimer: All the characters and most of the magic reality owns to J..

Hogwarts: At war

Harry, harry, wait! You´re lost someth…! – Herminone Granger´s shrill voice didn´t get Harry to stop, as his friend was running yet after having come downstairs from headmaster´s office. Though she run as far as her legs let her, she finally gave it up, when the sudden presence of a pair of death eaters stopped her. She reduced them immediately, but, regarding to Harry, it was too late: He had gone.

Hermione, breathless, bended down to take the object whose friend had lost. She didn´t remember to have seen before (neither in books) any stone like that: maroon colored, with a glassy structure and some particular magic propriety which kept it sparkling inside.

What the hell is that? – Ron Weasley asked, staring at the stone with mistrust.

I don´t know. – Hermione acknowledged. – Harry has never showed it up to us. – Added. Anyways, what shall we do now? – Ron looked her back; He seemed as much taken aback as her (and she was not between the indecisive people very often.)

We can´t know now where he has gone. I wish he hadn´t gone to Voldermort´s call. We have to kill the snake yet. There must be something in Snape´s memories which has made him to leave in that way. – Hermione went pale by the minute; they have attended to their potions professor´s death, for which she was affected in some sense: She can´t like him: the treatment given by him to the trio hadn´t been exactly pleasant. But she still acknowledge his work as a potion master, despite his love towards the dark arts (of which she has been aware enough during the past year, when she has discovered that he was the half-blood prince; The fact of Harry getting better marks than her in potions has been unforgettable, too.) But, above all, she dislike him because he was the man who had killed Albus Dumbledore. He had betrayed everybody. But… there was something disconcerting yet. How was he able – Severus Snape – to manage to kill Albus Dumbledore, if Lord Voldemort wasn´t? Hermione Granger isn´t used to doubt of Harry´s statement… But… Why had Severus Snape begged Harry to look at his eyes? It was everything so odd.

Well… what can we do, then? – Ron´s voice took Hermione back to the world. She had to made a decision. Because of her curiosity, nevertheless, it had already been made.

I´m going up – She said, looking towards the statue of headmaster´s office. - ¡Reductio! – She cried (without realize that she hadn´t required her wand for getting the entrance destroyed. A minor damage, taking the current castle´s circumstances into account.

A few moments later she was in front of the pensieve, whose surface was showing the gleaming memories of Severus Snape.

Won´t you expecting me to get through this? – Ron said, looking at the pensieve with a sick gaze.

As you like – She answered, and, without saying anymore, she put her hear under the pensieve´s content.

Neither Hermione could have been able to guess what she saw, nor she will be able to express the different kind of feelings prompted by Snape´s memories. As Harry did recently, She was allowed to watch Snape-child talking animatedly with Lily Evans… staring at her with concern, the day she was selected to Griffindor´s house… begging in front of a younger Albus Dumbledore to protect her… crying while contemplating her lifeless body… swearing to protect her son before the headmaster… who, about to die, ordered him to kill him to save Draco Malfoy´s soul…. Snape, whose patronus was preserving his old hind´s form.

Hermione got out of the pensieve and leaned on the wall, panting loudly. She understood at last, unable of understand nothing yet. That can´t be true. He…

What happened? What have you seen? Where is Harry? – Hermione couldn´t hear the imperious voice of Ron Weasley. Inside her mind, those images that she had just seen were occurring again and again: Her dying professor, staring at Harry… A voice became stronger and stronger deep down her. It wasn´t fair. It wasn´t… He can´t be death. He can´t have died that way…

Hermione, What are you going? Ron´s cry tried to stop the girl who had just started to run downstairs. He barely followed her through the Hogwart´s corridors, trying to dodge death eaters, allies, curses, corpses and rubble at the same time.

Hermione! Stop, please! – He failed again, as the girl made his way towards the forbidden forest. She only stopped when she was in front of the whomping willow. She immobilize it quickly. Ron managed to catch her up, breathless.

Bbut, Hermione, where´re you going? Is Harry there again? Could you speak to me once and for all? – Hermione couldn´t. She wasn´t listening to him, in fact, as she wasn´t realizing what she was about to do or where she was going. Although she really knows… dragged herself along the passage to the Shrieking Shack. She went straight until she arrived to the dark room where – she knows – he was lying yet. Hermione, with unsteady steps, came closer to Severus Snape´s body. She shuddered when she realized the dry blood staining his dark robes.

But… ¡What! And Harry? Hermione, WHAT…

¡ OH, RON, SHUT UP. – Hermione cried. And that was the first and last words she said, releasing her arm from Ron´s hand. Her own´s kept firmly clenched the red stone which Harry had lost. She carefully bent down towards Severus Snape´s corpse. She remained, barely 4 centimeters towards him, his pale skin paler than ever, his head resting over the left shoulder. It was hard to believe that this man was the same who, last year, walked around the potion class whit fluttering robes. The same with name her insufferable know-it-all… with had spent his life-time protecting the life of a loved-woman´s son.

And then, then there was no doubt. There was no wait. Snape´s hand become between hers, both sharing the stone. With a sudden movement, she let herself fall over the chest of the man. A blinding light filled the room. She closed her eyes. And everything went dark…

She opened her eyes lazily, hardly hearing the cries coming from Ron Weasley above her. She started to recover her senses to discover a freckly face in front of her. He seems scared. She went conscious of her own location – she was lying down on SNAPES CORPSE? – and tried to get up so quick than she felt dizzy. Recovered from the first impression, she spoke:

Wh- where are we?

In the Shrieking Shack, don ´t you remember? You started running, I followed you here. I believed that Harry was here but, then, Snape… what the hell was that light? What have you done? Hermione…

But the girl didn´t listen to him again. She was staring at Snape with horrified eyes. A few moments later Ron realized, and opened and closed the mouth, unable to give out a single sound:

The lifeless body had clearly moved. And moved again. The head which had been on a slant now was raised, showing a pair of dark and sharp eyes. They had met Hermione´s intensely, and with obvious confusion.

Severus Snape was alive.


	2. if it s your will

IF IT BE YOUR WILL

Severus Snape needed a few seconds to acknowledge the face of his old pupil. He was unable to do more than this.

Miss Granger? – he whispered. The girl kept staring at him. Gradually, his mind started being seized by several flashes of what had happened a few hours ago: Voldemort, the snake, Potter… His head ached badly, his neck did too. All his memories were ordering, not without difficulty. When finally he went conscious about the fact of his imminent owns death, he watched again the young pair of ex-pupils (he had already realize of the Weasley´s presence and their location) he obviously asked:

What happened? Why am I not... death?

I, we… well… - The fact of Hermione Granger had lost her usual eloquence only got his concern raised. But surprisingly, Weasley answered instead of her.

Hermione and me were waiting for Harry while he was in your office watching… well, whatever you wanted him to know. After that, he ran downstairs with no explanation, fast enough for missing that bloody stone. Hermione couldn´t gave it back to him. We decided… she decided then to see the pensieve´s content and so she did; and then, she… - He stopped and stared carefully at her friend, but she was too odd to add nothing. – She started running towards here. I tried to talk to her but she didn´t say a word. When we arrived this room, she came around you, and she touched you with this stone and then… you, you know – The red-haired boy seemed very puzzle as to say it: Yes, no doubt, he had brought back to life. Weel, Granger had done it. Snape stared at her again. The insufferable know-it-all was unusually quiet. She hadn´t answers that day.

… Instead of that, she had a lot of questions. She wondered how she had lost control in that way, why she had started running… to save that man… He deserved to live, didn´t he? What if her own justice´s wish had made her revive the Dumbledore´s killer? – Following Dumbledore´s orders – She remembered herself. Her head seemed to be about to explode, too.

Can you show to me that stone? – Snape´s voice took the teenagers out of their absorption.

Why shall we? – Ron said, with an obvious distrustful pitch. Hermione finally spoke:

Ron, please, he´s one of us. I´ll explain to you after…

WHAT? Hermione, you have lost your mind, haven´t you? – Severus Snape, the death eater, one of us? He stared at Hermione, and discovered confidence in her eyes. He doesn´t understand anything, but he trusted Hermione. Barely convinced, Ron came towards the man and hold out his hand, helping his ex-professor to stand up and offering the stone to him. Snape picked up the maroon object.

Severus Snape examined the stone for a while. After that, he spoke again, sounding unusually embarrased:

Have you ever heard of the deathly hallows? – There was silence. Hermione, maybe feeling herself like if she was answering some school question made a feint of rising her arm, but she didn´t. She had already understood, although she wasn´t willing to know:

Obviously we know, professor. But it… it can´t be possible…

In fact, it is: Snape cut her off, his dark eyes pulled over her. – This is the resurrection stone. – She held the intimidating man´s gaze. Ron tried to speak, but he didn´t find his own voice. Snape must be joking. He started again, apparently choosing carefully the most appropriate words:

The stone was dropped by Potter, wasn´t it? Who, if I´m correct, owns a invisibility cloak, and, probably, and elder wand, too. Miss Granger… - He faced again the horrified girl´s expression. – you knew my memories, don´t you? Dumbledore meant to sacrifice Harry… but he didn´t, after all… Potter, Hermione´s eyes opened with horror. Tears started to crowd them. The resurrection stone MUST have been utilized by Harry…. – I must be death – He continued, feeling unable to avert his eyes of hers, Hermione seemed to be about to faint. Harry… Harry may be in danger just then… if… if still alive.

Hermione, we MUST find Harry. – The scary Ron´s voice spoke again. Snape´s too:

I´m coming with you. We´ll better appear. – He held their arms and a few seconds later the were standing in front of the castle´s entrance. Everything was suspiciously quiet and deep dark around them.

Let´s go, behind me. – Ron and Hermione followed Snape who made his way through the entrance. He walked slowly inside the quiet corridor, because of the hinder floor, full of rubber and dust. Noises were coming from the great hall. These noises seemed to be rumors of human voices. Severus Snape crouched down the main door. He turned his head towards the younger ones:

I´ll come in. You waited here. If I don´t came back in ten seconds, you rain, it´s clear? – Ron and Hermione nodded. Severus Snape opened the door and disappeared. A few moments later the door opened again and his professor relieved expression encourage them to come in. They immediately froze. All around them seemed completely ruined. Along the room, small groups of all sorts of people (students, members of the phoenix order, aurors) were talking with loud voices or helping to the big amount of injured partners in the middle of the room. The tables had been moved away. Instead of, a big tent had been rising in a corner, with the aim of sheltering the several corpses. Despite the circumstances, those of the groups made up of red haired heads mainly seemed to recognize them:

¡DAD, MUM! – Ron cried, running towards them, and causing everyone´s notice their presence, except Snape´s, who remained back while Ron and Hermione were suffering an avalanche of passionate hugs.

Where did you stay? We though, you… you were… - Molly Weasley hardly spoke, in such a shocked voice. The reception carried on a while. Till Arthur Weasley noticed something apparently endangering:

YOU! EY! WATCH OUT! – He cried, getting out his wand. As fast as she could, Hermione stood in his way:

¡NO! – She cried, too. – He´s one of us. There´s an explanation. Harry knows…. Where´s Harry? WHERE IS HE? And Voldemort? – Hermione´s raising of voice was followed by an intense silence. Only Snape was able to speak.

The dark lord has gone, Hermione… He rolled the left sleeve of his robes, and everyone could watch a purple shadow crossing the pale skin, in the exact place where a death eater must have had the dark mark visible. There was more silence, until the new Ron´s speech:

AND HARRY? – But it was useless. Of course… Ron and Hermione by this moment already knew… The pain in Ginny´s face was evidence enough to know.

No… . Hermione sobbed, hiding his face between his hands. She was about to fall. Severus Snape approached, intuitively. Arthur Weasley explained then:

He should have gone to the forest alone, if you weren´t. To him. We only Know that Hagrid brought him here and he already was, he was. – He didn´t said it. Nobody wanted him to do it. – The dark lord and the death eaters came with him. He said he had won. He offered to us the possibility of begging his forgiveness. Or to die. Then, Neville approach to him. He seemed to… but suddenly there was an explosion. Everything went dark. A moments later we could see that horrible snake of him laying on the floor, crossed right by Griffindor´s sword. And then Neville again stared at the dark lord. He tried to curse him, and the wand didn´t work correctly. It gave Neville a lot of time for conjuring a protector charm. When the killing course came out of Voldemort´s wand, it bounced in Neville´s charm, and hit him. He, he, Voldemort – Mr. Weasley seemed not to believe yet… He has gone. Forever. But Harry… both of them have gone. The prophecy was wrong.

No. It can´t. – Severus Snape cut him off. All the people in the room noticed him, and watched him with obvious mistruth. – I heard it myself. I am who told Dumbledore. One, only one kid was the chosen-one, and he was Potter´s son. Let me in… - The whole group moved away the tent´s entrance. Hermione and Ron followed him. They observed the lifeless body of Harry. He was death. No doubt. Hermione had closed her eyes. She didn´t opened then. It was her fault. It was her fault. She felt sick. She didn´t even noticed the Snape´s strong arm pulling her out of the tent. Suddenly, Ron started to cry, He seemed have read Hermione´s thought:

IT WAS YOUR FAULT, HERMIONE! YOU! – Hermione felt as if a knife stuck in her heart. Everyone stared at them, looking confused. Ron went on. – yes, HER FAULT! Harry had a resurrection stone. He must have used it. But he lost it, and Hermione found it and she… SHE SAVED HIM, NOT HARRY! He pointed Severus Snape with a despiseful look. – HERMIONE! – He seemed unconscious of the pain her friend was suffering because of his words. – Harry MUST BE ALIVE. But… this, this greasy hit. – He looked at Snape. – Harry was a good person. – HE DESERVED TO DIE, NOT HARRY.

NO! – Hermione´s cry resounded along the room, loud and desperate. She felt angry. A violent sight surrounded her. A furious wind opened doors and windows abruptly. Everyone moved away. – No. – She repeated, and raised her arm. – Pensive! – She murmured. A few seconds later, the object had travelled from headmaster´s office to her side. Maybe Severus Snape was aware of the Hermione´s pretension, but he was too amazed to talk, because of the improvised show of magic power which Hermione Granger was offering, magic which he was able to feel vibrating thorough the room. Such a powerful wandless magic, inappropriate of such a young girl… of a wizard whatever his age, in fact.

Hermione moved towards the pensieve. The content of Snape´s memories was floating on the surface yet. He walked toward hers, and held her arm, trying to avoid what it was about to happen…

Miss granger…. He said, with a soft voice.

They must know. – It was her brief answer. And turning her back on him, she touched the pensieve and said. - ¡Show it!. – A with light went out of the object, creating a huge square hole above the Great hall. There, several images were projected, capturing everyone´s attention. Everyone knew then Snape´s truth.

He stood for a while but, in the meantime, he made his way to the dungeons. He didn´t want to answer all the questions which are about to come, most part of them remained without answer to him, in fact. While arriving at the door, he had to face Hermione Granger again. They look each other quietly. Admiration, guilt, misunderstood, concern… There´re sometimes feelings that we don´t know how to express with words, and, if we are able to, we corrupt them. So, there´re some glances with allow us to say everything we want, even more.

Severus Snape left the great hall, thoughtful and confused as hardly ever during his life-time.

_If it be your will _

_That I speak no more _

_And my voice be still _

_As it was before _

_I will speak no more _

_I shall abide until _

_I am spoken for _

_If it be your will _

_If it be your will_

_If it be your will _

_If there is a choice _

_Let the rivers fill _

_Let the hills rejoice _

_Let your mercy spill _

_On all these burning hearts in hell _

_If it be your will _

_To make us well_

_(LEONARD COHEN)_

_I wish you enjoy it._


End file.
